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Nascar racetrack owner wants Monorail for CharlotteNC
https://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=17556		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  johnny winkler [ Wed May 25, 2005 2:46 pm ]
Post subject:  Nascar racetrack owner wants Monorail for Charlotte,NC
Nascar race track mogul Bruton Smith wants to build a monorail system from his Nascar track at Concord to a proposed Nascar Hall of Fame in downtown Charlotte.He is serious about this and has pleged 50 million of his own money to jumpstart the project.Go to www.nascar.com to read the story. Perhaps someone like NCTM could persuade him to build a railroad or even a trolly interurban style line.Historic passenger equipment could be leased to Mr. Smith to run the line and gain some exposure for the transportation museum.I can't evision much daily traffic to ever justify the building of a monorail.
Author:  bobyar2001 [ Wed May 25, 2005 8:08 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Nascar racetrack owner wants Monorail for Charlotte,NC
Perhaps he just got done watching a rerun of The Simpsons..
Author:  John D [ Thu May 26, 2005 8:20 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Nascar racetrack owner wants Monorail for Charlotte,NC
Hadn't seen the news article on this yet-but how amusing-I say "amusing" because the rich folks who run Charlotte voted to pay for a tax increase to fund the proposed NASCAR museum. I wonder how Bruton can ante up $50 million of his own money for a ridiculous, one-use monorail when the taxpayers (having been Shanghai'd into a tax increase to pay for the Charlotte Bobcats stadium) are expected to pay (in part) for the proposed NASCAR museum. And don't get me started on why we should even pay for this in the first place-take a cruise around Lake Norman and see the mansions the NASCAR folks live in. Meanwhile, NCTM in Spencer needs funding in a big way to complete the backshop renovation (and keep the interactive displays functioning). Spoken by someone who lives in the area!
Author:  gmray [ Thu May 26, 2005 5:01 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Nascar racetrack owner wants Monorail for Charlotte,NC
I thought Charlotte Motor Speedway was owned by Humpy Wheeler???
Author:  johnny winkler [ Thu May 26, 2005 6:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Nascar racetrack owner wants Monorail for Charlotte,NC
Your right Humpy Wheeler still does own Charlotte Speedway,has since the 60s I think.I just saw him on tv last week talking about the track grinding project he had done.Maybe Bruton Smith has plans to buy Humpy out before he builds a monorail.Smith has been know to buy out tracks and take their race date away,the monorail talk may be a fake issue to disguise the fact he wants to take one of the races to one of his many tracks out west.I think it was him who moved racing away from North Willksboro and Rockingham.
Author:  StevenAshNW611 [ Thu May 26, 2005 10:46 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Nascar racetrack owner wants Monorail for Charlotte,NC
John D wrote:
Meanwhile, NCTM in Spencer needs funding in a big way to complete the backshop renovation (and keep the interactive displays functioning). Spoken by someone who lives in the area!
I agree, though I don't live in North Carolina. I would much rather see money go to the NCTM, where I've attended reguarly over the past 16 years and can say the improvements to the site have been amazing, but at the same time realize how depending on funds from the state can be very frustrating. In Spartanburg, SC, where I live they just renovated the old Spartan textile mill, which was supposed to house a NASCAR musuem. There were a few race car drivers and the city turned down proposals for a race track, which was then built in Talledega, Alabama. Anyway the Nascar Musuem project fell through so we have this huge empty renovated warehouse, looks good, but with no use as of yet.
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